Officials say I-269 will ease traffic, increase safety

DESOTO COUNTY — Mississippi transportation officials are touting the benefits of the Interstate 269 project.

After all the segments are complete, I-269 will form a 30-mile bypass around Memphis through Tennessee and Mississippi and will connect to the existing I-69/I-55 corridor hub. The projected corridor eventually will stretch from Canada to Mexico.

“But it’s important to remember this will be a controlled, four-lane interstate-style highway. It will promote safety and ease inner-city traffic across DeSoto County. It’ll get that large-truck traffic off the streets,” Tagert said.

Work has been under way since June 2011 on the first segment of I-269, a 3.1 mile stretch in Marshall County. The section will run south from the Tennessee state line to Highway 302, then curve west across U.S. 78 before it reaches Interstate 55.

The $19.5 million project is to finish by October 2013, with paving done and the road traffic-ready in fall 2014.

Mitch Turner, a Mississippi Department of Transportation engineer, said the benefits from the segment would include faster DeSoto County access to East Memphis and the Nashville area.

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